Rush Creek (Mono County, California) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Rush Creek |
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Deep channel incision on Rush Creek due to lowering of Mono Lake. Photo by Greg Reis, courtesy of the Mono Lake Committee
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| Other name(s) | Lake Creek |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| Region | Mono County |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Main source | Mount Lyell Madera County, Sierra Nevada, California 12,300 ft (3,700 m) 37°44′22″N 119°16′18″W / 37.73944°N 119.27167°W |
| River mouth | Mono Lake 6,378 ft (1,944 m) 37°57′17″N 119°03′09″W / 37.95472°N 119.05250°W |
| Length | 27 mi (43 km) |
| Basin features | |
| Basin size | 131 sq mi (340 km2) |
| Tributaries |
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Rush Creek is a 27-mile long creek in California. It flows down the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada mountains. The creek runs east, then northeast, and finally empties into Mono Lake. Rush Creek is the biggest stream in the Mono Basin. It carries 41% of all the water that flows into the basin.
In the 1900s, a lot of water from Rush Creek was sent to the city of Los Angeles. This was done using the Los Angeles Aqueduct system. Because of this, the creek's water levels became very low. Groups like California Trout, Inc., the National Audubon Society, and the Mono Lake Committee took legal action. They sued the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP). They wanted the creek to have enough water to keep its trout fish healthy. In 1985, a court agreed with them.
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History of Rush Creek
The creek was first called Lake Creek on a map from 1857. This was probably because it was the main stream flowing into Mono Lake. The name Rush Creek appeared on maps between 1863 and 1867. It is one of the older names for places on the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada. However, no one knows for sure where the name "Rush Creek" came from.
Between 1916 and 1925, three dams were built on the creek. These dams made natural lakes bigger and flooded meadows. This was done to create power from the water. The lakes that grew were Waugh Lake, Gem Lake, and Agnew Lake. Grant Lake had already been made bigger by a dam for irrigation. By 1941, the current dam at Grant Lake was made even larger. This allowed water to be sent from Grant Lake into the Los Angeles aqueduct.
Where Rush Creek Flows
The very beginning of Rush Creek is high up on Mount Lyell. Its upper branches flow down from Marie Lakes and Davis Lakes on Mount Davis. These branches then join together. The creek then flows through several lakes: Waugh Lake, Gem Lake, Agnew Lake, Silver Lake, and Grant Lake. From Grant Lake, it continues its journey to Mono Lake.
After Rush Creek leaves Grant Lake, two other creeks, Parker and Walker Creeks, join it. This happens just before a narrow part of the creek called the Narrows. At the Narrows, tall cliffs rise up on both sides of the stream. The flat area along Rush Creek, called the Rush Creek Bottomlands, stretches from the Narrows all the way to Mono Lake.
Animals and Plants of Rush Creek
Before 1941, the Rush Creek Bottomlands had many plants along its banks. These plants supported lots of birds and other animals. You could find ducks like mallards and teal, geese, deer, bears, mountain lions, bobcats, and coyotes. Near where Rush Creek met Mono Lake, there were large trees. These included aspen and cottonwood trees.
The Bottomlands used to have a wide forest along the creek. The main creek channel curved a lot and sometimes had many smaller channels. There was also excellent gravel for fish to lay their eggs. Exposed willow roots, fallen trees, and piles of branches along the shore provided homes for animals and fish.
After water was taken for the Los Angeles Aqueduct, the ground water level dropped. This caused half of the woody plants along the creek to disappear. Also, 70% of the meadows were lost. Near its mouth, Rush Creek dug 30 feet deeper into the ground. This happened to reach the lower water level of Mono Lake. The new flat area along the creek is much narrower now. Most of the smaller channels next to the main creek are dry and blocked. The places where fish live in the stream are much worse. There are fewer deep pools, less gravel for spawning, and less woody debris. Today, 48 different kinds of birds, mammals, and reptiles use the habitats along Rush Creek.
Fish in Rush Creek
No fish naturally lived in the Mono Basin. However, after 1850, Lahontan Cutthroat Trout were brought to the streams. By 1900, there were many fish, and people could catch a lot. Above Grant Lake, Golden Trout were put into the water in the 1920s and 1930s. At some point, threespine stickleback fish were also introduced. Steelhead trout from the Ventura River were also added to the system.
A station to collect fish eggs was built on Lower Rush Creek in 1925. It operated until 1953. Most of the eggs collected there were probably sent to the Mt. Whitney Hatchery. Another hatchery, the Fern Creek Hatchery, was located between Silver Lake and Grant Lake. It produced about 1 million fish each year from 1928 to 1942. Brown, Rainbow, and Brook Trout were stocked from Fern Creek and Mt. Whitney State Fish Hatcheries in the early 1900s. Brown Trout were introduced in 1919. They were well established by 1931 and were the most common fish by 1940. They were stocked until 1942. It was common to catch brown trout weighing 3/4 to 2 pounds. Sometimes, a 5-6 pound fish was caught. During the Great Depression, trout from Rush Creek often helped feed local people.
Protecting Rush Creek
To bring back the rich habitats that Rush Creek once had, different ways of restoring the stream are being used. These include:
- Putting water back into the dry channels that run next to the main creek.
- Managing the water flows from Grant Lake to be more like natural flows.
- Planting new plants in certain areas.
If these efforts work, they should help the stream become a healthy and working ecosystem again. It would look more like it did before 1941. Also, in 1991, grazing animals were stopped from eating plants along the creek. This allowed the plants along the creek banks to recover a little bit.
